Dili Airport, officially Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport and formerly Comoro Airport, is an international airport serving Dili, the capital of East Timor. Since 2002, the airport has been named after the East Timorese politician and national hero Nicolau dos Reis Lobato (1946-1978).
The airport is located in Madohi, part of the administrative district of Dom Aleixo, in the western suburbs of Dili. It faces the Ombai Strait to the north and west and the Comoro River to the east. Its runway (08/26) is generally oriented east-west. As the only international port in the country, Dili Airport is used for private jet flights to the country.
To the north of the airport, between the runway and the Ombai Gorge, is a residential area containing houses, a small farmland, a school, a church and a cemetery. At the northern end of the area is Beto Tasi Beach, a hidden stretch of coastline known to locals and also used for fishing.
East Timor private jet charter prices
Although Presidente Nicolau Lobato Airport air charter fees depend on variables such as the number of passengers, departure airport, flight time, aircraft position, flight date, the prices for private jet charter from Istanbul → Dili are as follows.
| Heavy Jet | 153.150 EUR |
| Long Range Jet | 211.850 EUR |
| VIP Airliner | 324.200 EUR |
These prices are average amounts and you can contact us on our flight reservation screen or by phone for the most accurate price information.
General history of Dili Airport
The port was built before World War II by the colonial administration of what was then Portuguese Timor. It initially had an 800 m long runway. It also soon became a base of operations for Transportes Aéreos de Timor (TAT), which was established in July 1939 as the colony’s national airline.
In May 1939, the Portuguese government authorized Qantas to operate a flight from Darwin to Dili. However, due to objections from the Japanese government, Qantas flights were delayed for more than a year. Finally, in December 1940, Qantas’ fortnightly service from Darwin to Batavia was allowed to stop in Dili. The following month, Dili replaced Kupang as the port of call on Qantas’ biweekly Darwin-Singapore service. As compensation, Japan’s Dai Nippon Airways was allowed to operate six test flights from Palau to Dili between December 1940 and June 1941. In October 1941, the Japanese government announced plans to start regular air services between Tokyo and Dili from the following month.
On 17 December 1941, shortly after the start of the Pacific War, Dutch and Australian forces landed in Dili to occupy the neutral Portuguese Timorese territory “… to defend against Japanese aggression …” and the Australian Independent Division took control of the airfield. On February 20, 1942, the port remained in Portuguese hands until the Japanese seized it. The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAF) used the airfield as a military airfield and was bombed by Allied aircraft between June 1942 and August 1944.
By the end of the Pacific War, the airfield had fallen into disuse and was overgrown. Japanese forces continued to occupy it until September 11, 1945, when the garrison in Dili officially surrendered. In post-war Portuguese Timor, Baucau Airport, which opened in 1947 and had a much longer runway, became the colony’s main airport and Dili airport was used for domestic flights. By 1969, TAT was flying from Dili to six other destinations in the colony.
During the Indonesian occupation after 1975, the airport in Baucau came under the control of the Indonesian National Armed Forces and was closed to civilian traffic. In 1978, the Indonesian government began work to rebuild Dili airport, which it renamed Comoro Airport. The works included the construction of a new passenger terminal building and the extension of the runway. In October 1978, Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia’s state-owned flag carrier, launched Jakarta-Dili-Jakarta services. Reconstruction work at the airport was completed in 1981. In 1992, the airport’s runway was extended to 1,850 m to facilitate the operations of Boeing 737-200s.
Following the August 30, 1999 referendum on East Timor’s independence, systematic violence by paramilitary groups erupted in Dili and elsewhere in East Timor. Early the following month, all flights to Dili were suspended. Under international pressure, Indonesian President B. J. Habibie announced on September 12, 1999 that Indonesia would withdraw its troops and allow the Australian-led international peacekeeping force INTERFET to enter the region, and on September 22, 1999, INTERFET secured the airport. By 2000, the airport had generally suffered serious damage due to inadequate maintenance following the destruction of equipment in 1999 and over-intensive use in 1999/2000. On February 28, 2000, INTERFET transferred command of military operations to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), which also assumed responsibility for the administration of the territory.
When East Timor became independent in 2002, control of the airport was transferred to the new East Timorese government and the airport was renamed after Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, an East Timorese politician and national hero]. In March 2005, Kakoak, East Timor’s first post-independence commercial airline, launched its inaugural flight from Dili to Kupang, serving twice weekly. In May 2006, the airport temporarily came under the control of the Australian Defense Force as part of Operation Astute. In 2011, the runway underwent rehabilitation, including a coating application to upgrade the Pavement Classification Number (PCN) and increase the Landing Distance Available (LDA) from 1,790 m to 1,850 m.
By the end of 2019, there were twice-daily scheduled small jetliner flights between Dili and Denpasar/Bali and to Darwin on weekdays and daily Darwin flights from Darwin on weekends. In April 2020, EuroAtlantic Airways operated a COVID-19 return flight between Lisbon and Dili using a Boeing 767-300ER. Similar charter flights were operated in September and December 2020, and in March, July, September and December 2021. Throughout 2022, the company flew and planned more charter services and was told that it wants to continue operating and even strengthen the Lisbon-Dili connection.
List of places to visit in East Timor
Becoming independent on May 20, 2002, East Timor is the only Asian country in the Southern Hemisphere. With its unpolluted nature, natural parks and magnificent sea coasts, the country is one of the most important countries in terms of tourism, although it is not well known.
Among the must-see spots in the country; Cristo Rei of Dili (Christ Statue) located at the highest point of Dili, the capital of East Timor, Atauro Island, which attracts attention with its magnificent nature, 2. 986 meters high, the statue of the Virgin Mary at the summit of Tatamailau, the highest mountain in East Timor, Tais Market, the largest marketplace in the capital, Ombai Strait, which separates the Alor Archipelago from the Lesser Sunda Islands, Wetar, Atauro and Timor Islands, Santa Cruz Cemetery, where 250 East Timorese citizens who lost their lives in the Santa Cruz Massacre on November 12, 1991 were buried, and Akrema Beach, one of the busiest beaches in East Timor in the summer months.
Transportation from Dili Airport to the city center
Minibuses called Mikrolet are mainly used for transportation from the airport to the city center. The minibuses passing on the main road outside the port do not have a specific departure time. Taxis can be easily hired in the land transportation area. Since taxis are not metered, the fares should be discussed before you start your journey.
Although there are offices of local private car rental companies in the port, it is necessary to make a reservation before your flight as there are few vehicles.
